Exercising With A Cough Or Flu + Cold And Flu Remedies

“Exercising With A Cough Or Flu + Best Cold And Flu Remedies”

Flu season is on! :(

Yup, I hate it too. Especially that moment when you feel a cold coming on. Hate it!

And then THE question pops up – should I exercise or not? Is it safe?

I have a hard time having rest days already and I can’t help myself when I feel like catching a cold.

Exercising with a cough or flu doesn’t feel like the best idea, but then again if it’s just a flu is it okay to hit the gym?

Exercising daily is actually a great way to keep your body and immune system healthy. And there is no doubt about it, however many girls wonder if working out while sick will help or hinder their recovery.

That’s why I’m giving you the ultimate “exercising with a cough or flu” guide to get this mystery straight once and for all.

Plus, I’m giving you the best things you can do to prevent getting sick in flu seasons packed with my #1 cold and flu remedies.

You’ll find out exactly how I go through my colds and still keep my fitness goals on point.

Let’s get started right away!

Exercising With A Cold Or Flu: YES or NO
I Have ACold – Should I Work Out?

A recent study sponsored by the American College of Sports Medicine indicates that exercising moderately while you have a common cold doesn’t affect the severity or duration of the symptoms.

Okay, so it’s okay to exercise with the common cold?!

Not so fast! Yes, it’s widely accepted that exercising and keeping in shape will reduce your risk of getting sick however there is actually no medically proven documentation whether working out would reduce or intensify the symptoms of the cold.

Experts are actually not straight about exercising with a cough, cold or flu.

Some will say to go for it since your immune system needs activity to do its job better and each time you exercise, you increase the circulation of important immune cells.

Others will say that once you catch a cold the story changes because exercise is great for prevention, but it can be lousy for therapy.
When you are suffering from flu or cold, your immune system is working overtime to fight off that infection. And since exercising is a form of physical stress, it can make the immune system’s task more difficult.

Then what should we do?!

Well, I did a research myself and I found the facts that all of them agree to.

Turns out, if you are only experiencing symptoms that are above your neck, such as a stuffy nose, sneezing or an earache, it’s ok to engage in exercise.

On the other hand, if you are experiencing symptoms below your neck, like nausea, body aches, fever, diarrhea, productive cough or chest congestion, you should probably skip your workout until you feel better.

So it’s safe to exercise at low-intensity levels if you have a:

Runny nose
Sneezing
Scratchy throat

However, exercising is not recommended if you have a:

Fever
Dry cough
Sore muscles
Vomiting
Diarhrea

You can only make it worse, so it’s for the best to avoid exercising until the cold, or infection is gone.

In the end, I’d say listen to your body.

If you feel exhausted and tired enough already, maybe it’s better to rest until your body recovers completely.

On the other hand, if you are energized and feel like you can still do it – go for it.

How To Prevent Getting A Cold?

Fall and winter months often mean more cases of the cold, particularly because we’re inside more and are in close quarters with more people.

But there are some solid steps to take when you feel under the weather.

You can do these things to prevent or beat the cold before it gets worse.

So, here are my best fit girl’s flu season tips.

Hot Ginger-Lemon Tea

This is how I go through the flu season – ginger and lemon tea.

Hot teas in general act as decongestants, helping clear sinuses of mucus. Teas also contain polyphenols which are a natural antioxidant.

However, adding ginger to your teas will boost your immune system through the roof, while helping you warm the whole body.

Here’s how I do it:

1 finger sized ginger cut into circles, boiled for a few minutes in water
1/2 fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon honey.

I mix all up and drink it while hot.

This is the ultimate flue blocker, and I use it whenever I feel like I’m catching a cold and want to prevent the symptoms from getting worse.

Raw honey has antibacterial effects and it stimulates the immune system, just remember you don’t need a large amount – half a teaspoon is a great addition.

Vitamin C Rich Foods

Vitamin C is a strong antioxidant that can help boost your blood antioxidant levels.

So, when catching the flu you should make sure to include foods like:

bell peppers
broccoli
strawberries
cabbage
tomatoes
sweet potatoes

These foods are packed with high amounts of vitamin c and adding them to your diet will help you a lot.

Leafy Greens

Leafy greens are packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

They loaded with beneficial plant compounds that act as an antioxidant that fights inflammation.

Make sure to eat lots of them especially when you’re feeling like catching a cold.

Eat leafy greens such as:

kale
spinach
turnip greens
beetroot greens

Probiotics

Live cultures in probiotic and fermented foods stimulate the immune system and fight infections.

I usually take them as a supplement but if you can get them through dairy products such as:

Yogurt
Kefir
Cottage cheese

These are one of the best sources of probiotics with friendly bacteria that can improve your health.

Zinc And Vitamin D

These are my go-to supplements throughout flu season – Zinc and Vitamin D.

Zinc is a mineral that’s known for boosting the immune system, and it’s used for treating the common cold, flu, upper respiratory tract infections, preventing and treating lower respiratory infections etc.

Vitamin D, on the other hand, is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in very few foods. It’s known as the “sun vitamin” and we get it from the sun.

However, in winter, it’s harder for us to get vitamin D so it’s nice if we could take it as a supplement. It helps in preventing acute respiratory tract infections and flu.

Avoid Junk Food

Especially sugars, heavily processed foods, and sugary drinks.

These foods are not only bad for your health in general, but they scale up the inflammation and reduce your ability for white blood cells to function properly.

They are full of pro-inflammatory ingredients, so make sure to save your “treat meals” for when your sickness has passed.

Avoid Alcohol

Alcohol is also a bad idea.

In my Nutrition Guide, I’ve dedicated a whole chapter to alcohol explaining how bad it is for health in general.

It makes it harder for your liver to work, it dehydrates you, weakens your immune system, and a bunch other bad things. So save your glass of wine for when you’re feeling better.